[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 46 (Friday, April 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E598-E599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTERS (AHECS)

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 1, 2011

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker: I rise today to acknowledge the 
contributions of the nation's Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) and 
applaud the vitally important healthcare workforce programs they 
conduct to improve access to healthcare for medically under-served 
individuals.
  AHECs, established by Congress in 1971 as one of the Title VII Health 
Professions Training programs, are the workforce development, training 
and education machine for the nation's healthcare safety net programs. 
Across the nation, 56 AHEC programs and more than 235 affiliated AHEC 
centers collaborate with over 120 medical schools and 600 nursing and 
allied health programs to improve the quality, geographic distribution 
and diversity of the primary care workforce.
  Last year, AHECs facilitated the placement of more than 44,000 health 
professional students in 17,530 community-based practice settings 
nationwide including community health centers, rural health clinics, 
critical access hospitals, tribal clinics and public health 
departments. To address the growing shortage of health care 
professionals in America, over 33,000 received more than 20 hours of 
health career exposure, information, and academic enhancement to 
prepare them for health professions training programs.
  The University of South Florida's AHEC Program connects students to 
careers, professionals to communities, and communities to better 
health. The USF AHEC Program inspires youth to choose a career in the 
health professions with its health career camps, mentoring programs, 
college preparatory courses and more. USF focuses on recruiting more 
minority and disadvantaged youth into health careers because as the 
nation's population becomes more diverse, it is important that the 
health care workforce reflects that diversity. AHECs in the Tampa Bay 
area are dedicated to community service and committed to enhancing the 
lives of Florida's most vulnerable populations who often go without 
health care due to geographic isolation and economic or social status. 
From 2000 to now, USF AHEC and its centers, Gulfcoast North AHEC and 
Gulfcoast South AHEC, have placed over 13,000 health professions 
students, residents and providers in medically underserved sites such 
as community health centers, county health departments and indigent 
care clinics within its service area; have increased access to 
healthcare at these sites with approximately 3 million patient 
encounters; and have guided more than 10,000 youth to careers in health 
through student enrichment and diversity programs. Most recently, USF 
AHEC and its centers have also provided tobacco cessation services to 
over 1,600 residents of the service area in an effort to combat the 
nation's leading cause of disease, disability and death--tobacco use.
  Not only have AHECs supported the education of future professionals, 
but they have supported more than 482,000 health professionals caring 
for the medically under-served with programs designed to enhance their 
skills, knowledge, and quality of care. AHECs have awarded 1.1 million 
contact hours of continuing education programs to current health 
professionals. AHECs extend the academic resources of health 
professions training programs into rural and medically under-served 
communities throughout the United States by creating partnerships 
between the health science centers that train health professions 
students, residents, faculty, and practitioners and the local providers 
that care for our nation's increasing number of medically under-served 
citizens.
  Mr. Speaker, through community-based interdisciplinary training 
programs, AHECs identify, inspire, recruit, educate, and retain a 
health care workforce committed to under-served populations. To that 
end, I would like to take this opportunity to officially recognize 
National AHEC Week, March 14 through March 18, 2011.

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